Stanley is a town on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Travelling west, Stanley is the second-last major township on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Smithton being the larger township in the Circular Head municipality. According to the, Stanley had a population of 553.
History
In 1825 the Van Diemen's Land Company was granted land in north-western Van Diemen's Land, including the Stanley area. Employees of the company from England settled in the area in October 1826. The site was named after Lord Stanley, the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in the 1830s and 1840s, who later had three terms of office as British Prime Minister. A port opened in 1827 and the first school opened in 1841. There was a short-lived bay whaling station in operation on the fore-shore in the 1830s. Stanley officially became a town in 1842 and by 1843 more than 8,000 acres had been sold or leased to almost 70 people. The Post Office opened on 1 July 1845 and was known as Circular Head post office until 1882. In 1880 the first coach service between Stanley and Burnie was established. In 1936 a submarine telephone cable from Apollo Bay to Stanley provided the first telephone to Tasmania from the mainland.
Today Stanley is a tourist destination and the main fishing port on the north-west coast of Tasmania. The most distinctive landmark in Stanley is Munatrik, commonly called The Nut an old extinct volcano. Bass and Flinders sighted it on their circumnavigation of Van Diemen's Land in 1798 and named it Circular Head. It has steep sides and rises to 143 metres with a flat top. It is possible to walk to the top of The Nut via a steep track or via a chairlift. Tourists regularly travel to Highfield to view the picturesque northern beaches with The Nut in the background. The port on the southern side of The Nut is also a regularly used fishing spot.
Notable people associated with Stanley
John Lee Archer - the "Father of Tasmanian architecture". Archer became a magistrate in the Circular Head area in 1838 until his death in 1852
Henry Hellyer - Chief Surveyor, explorer, and architect
Stanley has an oceanic climate that is bordering closely with the warm-summer mediterranean climate. Its summers are moderated by its shoreline position, whereas the rainy winters have moderate lows.
